Saving My Child
by LightningLover
Summary: Christian finds out he has a child and after expiriencing some flashback dreams from when Satine was alive, he sets out on finding the baby before it gets into the hands of the Duke and is killed for the memory of Satine being just a courtesan...
1. Chapter 1

Christian stopped outside the cemetery gates and shuddered at the sight of all the grave stones and memorials in neat rows in the garden. It hurt him to think she was here, she was being put here today, it was her funeral. He opened the rusty gate and suddenly realised if he was caught he would be hanged at the noose, he gulped remembering the Duke's final words he'd heard him say after she'd died and he'd gone into hiding.

"That wretched writer, if I see him ever again, I will make sure he will be cut and quartered in front of a cheering audience, then he can be with his beloved Courtesan"

Christian crept stealthily towards the voices he could hear, as he got closer he started to see the familiar sightings of some Moulin Rouge girls, though they were wearing black, faded gowns not their usual colourful party dresses. He couldn't help but think this wasn't an improvement, their faces were grey and they were each holding handkerchiefs and crying dismally.  
As he neared her grave he saw the fat man whose usually red face was white and miserable. The man turned his head and Christian darted behind a tree looking to see if the man had seen him. He sighed in relief when he turned back and listened to the vicar's preaching.

Christian stayed behind that tree gazing at the funeral party until it had ended, he dared not go further forwards in case the man, identified as Harold Ziddler saw him and captured him for money. That was all Harold cared about, money. He shook his head, money never brought any good, it only brought the destruction of the mind and replaced it with greed.

He was thinking of Satine lying in a coffin beneath the dove white grave stone and he felt the tears come to his eyes, why did she have to die? It wasn't right, why her? When something made him listen.

In the distance, he could hear two people, a mans voice, which was Harold's and woman which he recognised but couldn't place.  
They were talking about him; he listened, clutching the tree taking in every word with his hand over his mouth to stop him from gasping.

"So sad isn't it" said Harold as he walked by the tree with a woman at his arm.  
"Yes" said the woman " she was " very" she choked a little a quickly coughed and wiped her eyes, " very talented, yes very talented"  
"Oh Marie, I know this must be difficult for you, you were a mother to her you shared"  
"Shared her dreams, all she had was dreams" the woman stopped, "that was until she met him" The woman had to reach for her handkerchief and wipe her eyes once again.  
Harold nodded and they continued walking down to the gate, Christian began to sob knowing what Marie had said was true, he was the source of her dreams.

Just as Christian was about to sit down on the wet harsh ground, he heard something quite extraordinary that made him run

and catch up with them.

"The child, what happened to it?" asked Marie as they reached the gate. Harold stopped walking and stepped next to a grave stone of a little girl.

"It was drowned Marie" he said finally and stroked away the moss that had been nesting on the girl's grave.  
"Harold" whispered Marie, "drowned, its dead. Oh no, poor Satine, the poor writer"  
"he didn't know she was pregnant," said Harold sadly and sat down on a stone bench in memory of someone.

Christian felt a pang in his chest and stopped walking, struggling to breathe. "Pregnant?" he whispered, "Satine, darling Satine was with a..." he gulped and the air returned to him though he felt dizzy and weak "child". he managed to say and pressed his head in a gap between some trees neighbouring the bench.

Marie joined him and they sat in silence listening to the harsh wind whip amongst the flowers on the stones.  
"You could have given it to me Harold, I could have taken it, why was it killed?" she finally asked breaking the awkward moment.

Harold put his chubby face in his matching chubby hands, and sighed, they sat in silence once more shivering but refusing to huddle together.

"It wasn't killed Marie" he said finally not looking at her.  
Marie felt tears of happiness fill her eyes.  
"Oh thank goodness, I couldn't have lived with my poor baby's child being murdered, oh I couldn't, where is it?" She stood up all set to rescue the baby and take it away where she could safely raise it, but then she sat down and remembered.  
"It's the writers isn't it."

Christian watched, he waited and when he saw Harold's chubby face lift and give a short nod he felt himself flood with joy, he had a child? A son? A daughter? A child, his and Satine's.

"Ah" Marie said and sat down, she suddenly looked pained and scared. "The Duke! Oh Harold does the Duke know? He will kill

the child if he knows of it's existence."

Harold slowly brought himself to look at her, tears clouded his ageing face and his hands trembled as they grabbed Marie's bony shoulders.  
"Marie" he said shaking and Marie grabbed his hands and held them tightly in hers.  
"Yes Harold what is wrong? So long as the Duke doesn't know of it we can save the child. Give it an upbringing, a life..." she waited, trusting him for an answer.

"Marie." Harold said finally " the Duke has the child his man servant is taking it to England where the Duke is expecting it."

Marie gasped, and tears rolled down her old cheeks. She sobbed, but once again wiped her eyes and face and sat up straight.  
"Will it die Harold?"

Harold looked at her.  
"No Marie, it will be murdered by the Duke himself, most likely drowned."

Christian felt himself sway inside, his stomach lurched and he stumbled out of the trees and collapsed in a murky puddle which his own tears were being added to.

Marie looked up from Harold and gasped at the sight of the deceased girls lover in front of her.  
"This is the father isn't it" she said going over to Christian who had fainted and was breathing rapidly and Harold nodded

"He must have heard" she pushed a piece of hair behind Christian's ear, "heard what we said, the poor boy"  
"Mm" said Harold who stood up and crouched down next to Christian, "Harold it will take a week to get to England, the ferry is due in six days, we can make it and save the child"  
"No we cannot!" said Harold who stood up briskly " the child will be dead Marie, the servant will have killed it already you saw what he was like."

Marie knew that wasn't so, she gave Christian a short kick with her boot in a very un-lady like fashion. Christian spluttered and spat out saliva.  
"Charming" said Marie.  
He sat up and rubbed his head. "No time for that sunshine" she said and helped him to his feet, " I'm only doing this because I loved Satine, she was like a daughter to me, so I am not going to let her child die."

Christian rubbed his head and nodded.  
"It's my child" he said, "and that child is not going to die while I'm alive"

There you go please r and r!  
I love Moulin Rouge its a gr8 film and I hope you enjoyed reading this fic!  
LightningLover xx 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

hey, thanx 2 da peeps who reviewed, u gave mi sum gr8 ideas.  
Ok chapter 2...enjoy...

Christian sighed as he stumbelled along the railway platform, his arms full of suitcases, heavy suitcases. While he had rushed back to his small apartment and thrown a small bundle of clothes into his old brown suitcase, Marie had packed all the things she described as useful and there were plenty of useful things she packed, useful things did weigh, as Christian had discovered, alot.  
He tagged the suitcases and gave them to a nearby porter, who carried them off to the baggage compartment some way away. Christian couldn't help but smile as he saw the porter stumble uner the weight of the bags. He sat down on an empty bench and stared at all the different people on the platform, young, old, middle aged, ancient, he felt a lump in his throat when he saw a baby in a mothers arms.

"Right," a voice said behind him and he stood up and faced the speaker. "Well what are you waiting for?" said the speaker, "The train leaves in a minute,"

He hurried onto the train and walked to the very back where he and his companion finally found an empty compartment, he sat down by the window, realising he was shaking and he placed his hands in his lap.  
Marie sat down and smiled at him, her crooked teeth were welcoming and friendly, he didn't smile back, he found he couldn't control his jaw. The aging lady sniffed and reached in her carpet bag. It gave him shivers remembering Satine's dressing room and that the bag was normally always in there, sighing he pulled up his collar and took his hat off.

"I wonder what it is." Marie suddenly said and he looked at her, puzzled,

"What, what is?" he replied hoarsely.  
"The baby," she said, "a boy or a girl"  
Christian smiled and looked at the grubby train floor.  
"It doesn't matter, I'll love it no matter what it is." he said finally. "What about names?" she said, "if it's a girl how about Sati"  
"No" Christian shouted, "Marie, I really apreciate this, but my child is not yet safe, why it could be dead..." he trailled off in mid sentence and felt tears come to his eyes. Marie grabbed his hands off his lap and held them in her own.  
"Sonnie, it's alive, I know it's alive, we both do," she patted his hands gently, "don't ever give up hope."

The train started moving and Marie placed a ticket in Christians hand. "For the ferry." she said, and sat back in the murkey burgundy seats.  
It was a silent journey, he couldn't speak to her about the child, he hoped he would know if it was dead but he wasn't a physic was he? He was writer, a simple writer, who was on a quest to bring his child back alive.Out of his jacket pocket he brought a pen and a folded up piece of paper, he tried to write but nothing came, nothing, he couldn't think of anything to say, not even to the paper.

Marie was humming under her breath, he lifted his head and listened, she broke into words and he felt himself joining in quite naturally.  
"How wonderful life is now you're in the world" they both sang softly. Marie smiled and he found himself in control of his jaw again he allowed himself a small show of happiness but then his sad, sober look returned and he sighed and looked back at the paper. Staring hopelessly into a bottomless pit of yellow murkiness.

Marie looked upon the harbour with pleasant suprise, it was so calm, so peaceful, just small sail boats inhabited it, but then as she lifted her gaze to the main dock she caught sight of the, latge, extravagant ferry, it's white sides shone like well brushed teeth and it's name was painted on in large red and gold lettering.  
" Queen of the Sea eh" she said aloud to Christian who had lit a cigarette and looked at it thoughtfully. " I didn't know you smoked" she said suprised.  
Christian put the cigarette to his lips and shuddered as he breathed out white smoke.  
" I don't," he said and coughed," but it's very stress relieving." he murmered under his breath, "pain relieving"  
" No honey," said Marie gazing out at the Queen of the Sea, " morphine is good for that"  
He coughed and she sighed and began to walk towards the main ship.  
" We can't board it now." Christian said throwing the cigarette on the ground and running to cath up with her, despite her ages, she was a fast walker.  
" I don't see why not." she said.  
" It doesn't leave today." He said shortly.  
She turned to face him and sighed at his slight stupidity. " Christian if you are afraid of boarding a ship then please inform me so I do not have to call you a cowardy custard to your face." she said and smiled.  
He looked at the floor embarassed and his cheeks flushed a scarlet colour.  
" I don't like"  
" What was that," she said, grinning wickedly.  
" I don't like"  
" hmmm" she said again questionly and laughed " I DON'T LIKE BOATS" he yelled and several little girls boarding giggled.  
" Cowardy cowardy custard." the sang to each other, " boys are so silly, cowardy custards"  
" hmm" Marie said smiling. " well you can hold onto my hand all the way"  
She trailed off and placed her hand over her mouth and pointed at the Queen of the Sea.  
" it's him" she said in a wisper.  
" I know," said Christian, " it's the Duke."

DUN DUN DAHHHHH!  
whats going to happen next.  
R AND R PLEASE LightningLover xx 


	3. Chapter 3

Ok here's chapter 3 please R and R and thankx to the peeps that have already done so!

Of course he was bound to do something, he had that look in his eye, the streak of anticipation and longing for vengence, it was destroying him in side as he saw his mortal enemy stride off the boat with his beefy manservant behind him.  
The Duke wiped something from his hands on the Manservants shoulder and Christian clenched his fists.  
" Sonny," Marie wispered and slowly put her arm on his shoulder, "I know you must be expiriencing hell right now, but for god's sake just walk away, if you take the child now, he'll execute you as well." She patted him on his back, "come on me boy, come on let's go ok,"

Christian saw the Duke barely 100m in front of him, he could scramble at him, all he could feel was the upmost loathing running up his spine and his eyes turned to slits as he looked upon the duke brushing dust of his already immacualte purple, velvet jacket. He was so calm, so cool, so.  
Christian felt Marie pat his shoulder once more and as the Duke walked in the opposite direction as he was going, Christian turned and strode off, on the verge of tears.

"Sonny," Marie said as she knocked on his cabin door. " I brought you some crackers from dinner seeing as you didn't attend"  
She knocked on the door once more, getting restless, " Come on Christian open this door." Annoyed, she kicked his door making the deck rattle, " OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!"

Christian sat on his hard, economy cabin bed. Thank heavens he had a separate cabin from Marie. Apart from the bed, only a sliding door wardrobe and a little en suite bathroom enhabited his cabin. He'd paced out the whole two rooms over a thousand times, desparate to try and take his mind off everything, imaganing he was a regular french writer going to England to seek his fortune. Though this had made him more angry because that had been what he was, a poor, simple, english writer going to Paris.  
He looked at himself in the cracked mirror on the wall. He had certainly aged and he traced the only, lonely wrinkle on his forehead.  
He heard Marie bang on his door and he sat down on the bed, it creaked as he did so. No matter what he did, he couldn't escape the truth, he was on a qouest, to find his child. It sounded like a fairytale, he the handsome prince went out to rescue his lost child who was about to be slain by the evil wizard because of his jealousy of the Prince's princess.  
he shuddered and refused to think of Satine, she made it even more painful thinking of the fact that he had her child and she never told him.  
" If she'd told me," he murmered "I'd never be in this mess, oh Satine, why?" he said and burried his face in his hands.

" CHRISTIAN I MEAN IT NOW," Marie almost screamed and kicked the door again. "I CAN'T HAVE YOU DYING OF STARVATION, NOW OPEN THIS"  
The door creaked open and there stood the handsome man she was accompaning, he looked tired and pale.  
" door?" he finished the sentance for her.  
She sighed and barged past him and scowled at his dingy cabin. " No table I see." she said. " At least mine had a table in it"  
" Thats ok," Christian said and streched, "I can eat on the bed"

There was a knock at the door and Marie whipped around. Christian hurried into the bathroom, he was in no fit state to talk to anyone.  
" Hello?" Marie said nervously.  
She opened the door and gasped. She felt herself shudder and touched her forhead lightly.  
" Bonjour Miss Marie" Said the tall figure standing in the doorway. His lank blond hair was the same as ever and he switched his hands around his penis trying to be seductive. Though it looked foul. " Duke" she said loud enough she hoped so Christian could hear. " Er, hmm" she curtseyed hurridley, " good day Monsieur, how may I help you"  
The Duke smiled, showing a rack of yellow teeth, she could see the molars were all covered in gold and she shuddered.  
" I saw you were on the guest list"  
She gulped and froze, Christian might of been on it too... 


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it has taken so long, thank you to all the people the reviewed me, thank you so much you are all lovely.

Right-i-ho off I go again, hope u like it xxx lv y'all

Chapter 4

" Urm yes," she said quickly, " yes um, I do believe I was on it," she laughed and felt a trickle of sweat run down her back, This didn't look good.

" Indeed, I also saw a"  
"Marie" said a very high voice coming from the bedroom, " Marie, I need you now," Marie turned to her room door; there in the tiny crack between the chain was a piercing blue eye, Christian's eye. " Marie" He called out in the same high voice; " I need you now."

Marie hurriedly turned back to the Duke who was standing rather impatiently with his hands crossed behind his back and with his feet slightly apart, rather like a soldier or a small school boy awaiting the cane putting on a brave face.  
She sniffed sadly and sighed, acting had never been her strong point, however now was not the time to doubt herself.

" I must go Sir," she said sweetly, smiling showing her crooked, chipped teeth, " The lady in there, is my cousin, very sweet girl, in..." she contemplated quickly," in, um, intense labour, yes, intense labour"  
Seeing the Duke's face she had realised she had said the wrong thing.

" Baby?" he said slyly, " well best of luck with that to her, however she must wait, I must talk to you regarding the guest list.  
" Not now sir," she said haughtily, " I have a child in there ,a child giving birth..."

" NOW" said the Duke and grabbed her hand and clutched it painfully digging his nails into her skin, she braved herself and looked at him, his eyes, the same greedy shade. With a whisper she uttered.  
" Let go of me," she held her gaze and quickly he took off his nails. He replied with the same volume, still clutching her hand.

" I know who is behind that door,"

" Who?" she said nervously, " apart from...Chantelle there is no-one"  
He released his grip and wiped his hand on his purple waistcoat and Marie flinched at his unkindness.

" You already know." they paused and Christians intense "fake" labour pains were heard from the room, " Madame" the Duke said and stomped off the hallway.

Marie felt like crying, with hope and sorrow, she clutched the cross she wore around her neck, " oh father, christ what am I to do?  
She sighed and stopped as Christian removed the chain and opened the door.

" I have to face him Marie," said Christian in a quiet whisper with perfect diction. " He knows, I heard everything, thank god you got the cheapest crossing to England the walls are thick enough to hear down the hall." They paused. " I have to do this, you know I have to."

" Not yet" butted in Marie, " Not yet, that, that man" she spat, " is harsh and cruel and you are not here for him," she clutched his hands and held them to her chest, " you are here for your baby, your child remember, this is a quest to find the child, save the child, you are not on a quest to kill the Duke, no matter what he has done." she breathed in sharply, " he'll be back, quick, inside, now."

They spoke in whispers inside the dingy cabin.  
" He'll never know you were here."

" The bloody guest list Marie."

" I forgot about that, oh why was I so stupid?"

" We were meant to be meeting him in England, not here in La France, why is he here?"

" To collect the child, I gather."

Christian suddenly sat down on the bed and placed his face in his hands.

" Marie, we are on a ship,"

"Yes Christian a ship."

" A ship, with water all around us."

" Yes the ocean, the Channel, the deep waters of hell, or the most pleasurable place all round."

" THE OCEAN MARIE, PEOPLE DROWN, PEOPLE CAN THROW...THINGS...IN...PEOPLE NEVER WOULD KNOW." he suddenly whispered, " Satine",

the baby."

Marie gasped and shuddered, she shook her head and went to the bathroom and splashed herself with freezing water from the basin, she looked up and saw a pale, wretched face covered in trickling drips of warm sweat and cold water, pools of eye liner dropped like tears and she began to cry. Not for her sake, for Christian's, and more importantly, the baby's.

" He could have come, to, to just finish this, this mess that, she left"  
" he hasn't come to kill the baby," Marie said positively, though it was hopeless, it was obvious, he was going to throw it over the side and leave it there, crying and helpless to drown. Quick and easy, the man was a vulgar genius.

" It's Satine's fault" he whispered.  
" no, she said, it's, mine"  
" What?" he inquired " I told her, not to tell you, Christian"  
" About what"  
" The baby"

There was a pause, the baby? What? Christian shook his head, he was bewildered.  
" You knew, what! you knew but I...he lover...did not?" he shook his head again and a tear dropped from his eye. " marie, why would you ever think about keeping this from me?"

" BECAUSE I KNEW SHE WAS GOING TO DIE" Marie shouted. " I NEVER WANTED YOU TO KNOW, YOU ARE JUST A LAD MY BOY, I AM AN AGED LADY."

There was a painful silence as the ship swayed and the sound of the tap dripping was heard, Christian looked frozen still and looked his piercing blue eyes into her own, not blinking in disbelief.  
Finally his voice returned to him, in a way she was relieved in another it was worse.

" Marie," he said quietly, " why wouldn't you let her tell me? what? I don't understand, because...because you thought it was "best" you refused to let her tell me? No" he stopped and looked straight at her, " Marie there is something more, you have done something haven't you, you didn't want me to know so you could do this. Satine WOULD have told me, so what did you do?"

Marie sighed and began to cry.

" YOU THINK YOU'RE IN HELL." sobbed Christian "WHY? What have you done? TELL ME, I HAVE TO KNOW, what is going on Marie"  
" You weren't going to know, you found out, accidentally, oh Cristian she wanted you to know, but...but I refused I pursuaded against it, you should never have known."

" Why? WHY SHOULD I NEVER HAVE KNOWN, I AM HIS" he stopped and blushed slightly, " or HER father, I have that right, what did you do"  
There was silence between them and the boat continued to sway.

" What happened of the child then?" Inquired Christian sadly ruffling his hair.  
" I tried to take it, to look after it, but"  
" BUT WHAT? "MARIE,"

Marie was silent; she remembered everything so clearly but wished upon every star that that memory of scars would finally heal, it seemed this was the only way.

" I, I..." her voice trailed off and tears dropped again, from both her and the man's eyes.  
" Marie," he whispered coldly " what did you do?"

There was a silence once again in which Marie, said, nothing.

" MARIE?" he shouted at her and she winced but did not reply.

There was silence between them and Marie turned away from him and once again the tears fell.

Right there we go again another cliff-hanger, sorry, you may have to wait awhile until I next update, please R and R and I

really hope you like it LightningLover x0x0x x 


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